Kevin’s Blog: My Top 7 Album Picks For 2010!

2010 has been a nutty year for me. A lot of changes. Borderline overwhelming. Life can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we have music to keep us sane. A solid soundtrack is vital to survival and I’m quite happy with the music I encountered this year. In semi-particular order, my seven (like the show!) favorite albums of 2010 are:

1. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
It’s not about winning, but this wins. I am very comfortable calling this my favorite album of the year. A friend convinced me to pay $10 to see this band in March and it was an incredible investment. Perfect harmonies & tight percussion. A+.

2. AM Taxi – We Don’t Stand A Chance
I’m from Chicago & I think this is the best band Chicago has produced in years. All of these dudes come from other Chicago bands & the result is mature & powerful. It’s a modern twist on classic punk rock. The Clash, The Replacements, The Ramones, etc… Gang vocals rule!

3. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Speaking of Chicago… Kanye! We see so much of him as Kanye the person, I think we forget how talented he is as Kanye the musician. He’s arrogant because he’s great & he’s great because he’s arrogant. It’s a formula that not many can pull off. “Monster” is the best song ever.

4. The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
One of my favorite bands! “Never make the same record twice” is something I’ve heard Brian Fallon (singer) say a few times & it’s very obvious that he means it. This is their third album and it’s completely different than the previous two. They’ve morphed from a punk rock band into a straight up American rock n’ roll band. They love Bruce Springsteen and they want to tour with Pearl Jam. I think, they can save rock music.

5. Against Me! – White Crosses
This brought Against Me! from one of my favorite bands, to my favorite band. Someone needs to make a movie about these guys. Their story is waiting to be told. This record is a perfect representation of a young anarchist growing into a professional musician. It’s far from the gritty sound I fell in love with years ago, but it’s the type of record I expected them to put out. They’ve matured as people, and it wouldn’t be authentic if their music didn’t mature as well.

6. Bear Hands – Burning Bush Supper Club
Finally! I’ve been so excited for this band to release this record. It was worth the wait. There are a lot of bands trying to sound hip and inventive, but this is legit. This album is strong lyrically, vocally & musically. I believe that it has the power to bridge the gap between hipsters and everyone else.

7. The Black Keys – Brothers
It’s the sixth from these guys and they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve! The cream rarely rises in music, but this is a band I’m happy to hear on the radio & happy to see on the list of Grammy nominations. 2 dudes, blues, rock & Danger Mouse! Perfect! Listen to this on a cold day.

It wasn’t easy for me to narrow my list down to seven, so I’m gonna cheat and throw in some honorable mentions. Check ‘em out after the jump!